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Re: Physics: A watched pot will boil, but a spinning electro
Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 7:44 pm
by Reverse Entropy
A sci-fi author I like made one of his alien species create a superstrong material which had its molecular bonds reinforced with a field of energy applied to the bonds. This principle in the article would do the same thing - by applying microwaves as done in the experiment, you will prevent the bond from ever breaking.
Where am I going to buy 30 billion tiny magnetrons to reinforce my super molecule with ?
Re: Physics: A watched pot will boil, but a spinning electro
Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 8:21 pm
by Yarbicus
Reverse Entropy wrote:A sci-fi author I like made one of his alien species create a superstrong material which had its molecular bonds reinforced with a field of energy applied to the bonds. This principle in the article would do the same thing - by applying microwaves as done in the experiment, you will prevent the bond from ever breaking.
Where am I going to buy 30 billion tiny magnetrons to reinforce my super molecule with ?
Author and book plox.
Re: Physics: A watched pot will boil, but a spinning electro
Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 9:23 pm
by Reverse Entropy
The author is Larry Niven. There is a whole swath of his work that covers that period, fortunately it's novellas and long short stories bundled in a few 'collection' books.
Neutron Star [ISBN 0345336941 / ISBN13: 9780345336941] is a good place to start. Most of these stories will give you the basic frame of his "Known Space" timeline.
Ringworld [ISBN 0575077026 / ISBN13: 9780575077027] is his most famous novel, and would be a good second one to read.
If you like those, I'd recommend Fleet of Worlds (a Ringworld side story), Protector (a sort of prequel novella to Ringworld), and A Gift From Earth (a side story of one of the space colonies).
Niven is cool because his science is mostly right; where his science is vague he makes up for it with brilliantly audacious applications, and he figures out real sociology effects of his futures.
Ringworld is known for many fans with actual hard science and engineering Ph.Ds working out how to engineer the crazy thing, much to the author's surprise and shock.
Re: Physics: A watched pot will boil, but a spinning electro
Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 10:11 pm
by benjamin801
Reverse Entropy wrote:The author is Larry Niven. There is a whole swath of his work that covers that period, fortunately it's novellas and long short stories bundled in a few 'collection' books.
Neutron Star [ISBN 0345336941 / ISBN13: 9780345336941] is a good place to start. Most of these stories will give you the basic frame of his "Known Space" timeline.
Ringworld [ISBN 0575077026 / ISBN13: 9780575077027] is his most famous novel, and would be a good second one to read.
If you like those, I'd recommend Fleet of Worlds (a Ringworld side story), Protector (a sort of prequel novella to Ringworld), and A Gift From Earth (a side story of one of the space colonies).
Niven is cool because his science is mostly right; where his science is vague he makes up for it with brilliantly audacious applications, and he figures out real sociology effects of his futures.
Ringworld is known for many fans with actual hard science and engineering Ph.Ds working out how to engineer the crazy thing, much to the author's surprise and shock.
SCRITH'd
